Our Favorite DOOM moments in time

Sam will be Fighting Like Hell at the DOOM & MSI Vortex Launch in Cape Town on 13 May. You can experience the whole thing via her Snapchat by adding her via her username which is iamsamw22. Also don’t forget to head on over here to watch Sam’s mom attempt to play DOOM

The day we have been waiting for is here, DOOM is out. Now before you run out and buy a copy, which you totally should, why not take a trip back in time with us to the series’ past titles and reflect on some of the greatest moments in the franchise? Doom basically created the FPS genre so I have the most respect for its stand in the industry and I am over the moon to be able to play a brand new modern day imagining over again. This is where it all began, and this is where I was when  it happened:

First Off

Although the game has had numerous titles released under its name, it all revolves around the same old demon vs marine formula. You play as a UAC marine who fights through Mars space stations as he tried to make his way to safety and/or take down the demon threats from Hell that have risen due to some whack experiments from some guy who was playing around with something he really should not have been playing around with.

The games have always had some things in common with each other. Gore, huge arsenal of weapons, fast-paced gun fights, secret rooms, keycards, and massive over-sized demon creatures from Hell. Its those ingredients that make Doom such a standout game in the indusrty, and you know you love it!

Doom – 1993 – 1995

Doom

Sure I was only 3 years old back when the original released, so I really did not get into it till The Ultimate Doom launched in 1995. However Doom first released as a shareware title, meaning it was free for anyone to download and play. This is what kind of set off the fireworks for the game as it was free, so many people got to experience it.

The original brought a whole new meaning to video games as it pioneered 3D graphics in its day, as well as included one of the first ever multiplayer networked features. This was a major thing for a game that released as shareware and back in the day it was a big deal. Now if a game does not get multiplayer we all complain, brats we are!

Due to the success of Doom, many more developer started to create what everyone loved, a well-rounded FPS on a PC. Heretic, Duke Nukem and more started to be inspired by Doom, and still today, we have a phrase called “Doom Clone” to refer to games that have made an impact on the indusrty as big as Doom did.

Later when The Ultimate Doom released in 1995, it was a full retail release that came out on floppy discs and contained an extra episode. I clearly remember installing this game off around 8 discs, oh I feel old!

Doom II: Hell on Earth – 1995

Doom II

Believe it or not, but id Software really milked the Doom franchise in the first two years of its success. Right after the release of The Ultimate Doom, Doom II was released to the world as a full commercial release. Two months after which an expansion with 21 extra levels called the Master Levels hit stores. Sure it all happened very fast, but the quality of the game was not untouched, which made it all worth it.

Doom and Doom II are basically playable on any platform these days, you can even get it on iOS and Android. Shows how far we have gone in such a short amount of time.

My favorite parts of the first two Doom games must have been the freaky demons which I faced as a little child. Sure I did not sleep after playing the game, but there was nothing better than filling a merc full of lead right before bed time (I am not demented).

Final Doom- 1996

Final DOOM

There was one thing missing from the Doom franchise, and that was its entry into the PlayStation family. Final Doom was just that. It took Doom and its expansion, and Doom II and its extra maps, and released them both on PlayStation. I remember quite clearly playing this compilation as a child, and it was so much better using a controller than a keyboard.

Doom 64 – 1997

DOOM 64

Doom 64 was a little different from its predecessors. The game had the same idea around its FPS mechanics, but its had a few differences compared to the PC version. Many of the weapons were re-skinned, and it was also the first and last time in the series where a weapon called the “Unmaker” appeared.  Other than that a few gameplay tweaks were also included like recoil adjustments and visuals.

Doom 3 – 2004

Doom 3

Although the first two games released really close to each other, we would not be playing another brand new DOOM game for another 9 years. Yes, DOOM 3 only released 9 years after DOOM 2. DOOM 3 yet again re-defined the shooter not only in its great FPS mechanics, but it was also a benchmark game in its day, boasting some of the best visual on PC.

Unlike the classics, DOOM 3 took a more scary approach to things as lighting and sound was used to torture our nerves throughout our journey in the game. Sitting up at night and playing the game, really scared the living out of me, as piped dropped in the distance and creatures moved through the shadows.

As much as this was different, the game yet again, had everything we loved in it from its keycard system and weapons, to its demons. The best thing about it was the ability to see the world of Doom in full 3D compared to sprites. It was the series’ biggest step, and it showed how much we loved it.

Doom: Resurrection of Evil – 2005

Doom 3

A year after the release of the main game, an expansion was released which took the game on a different path. Resurrection of Evil saw you command your own demonic powers in the game using the Hellstone, compared to the great array of guns you could use. With the Hellstone you could slow down time and do all sorts of devilish things with it.

Doom: Resurrection -2009

Doom

id Software then did what everyone else was doing at the time, they made a mobile game. Sure it was held back by hardware in its day, but we did not have any other Doom to play, so we just had to make do. The game released on iOS, and is actually still downloadable today.

Doom II RPG – 2010

DOOM II RPG

A year later id Software then released an RPG inspired Doom game, which saw you adventure the dark hallways of a Mars in a dungeon crawler type game. You would equip gear, level up, and kill hordes of demons. You can too download it today for iOS

Doom 3: BFG – 2012

DOOM 3

Just because there was no Doom 4 in sight, did not mean we could not have all the current games in the series packed into one package, and Doom 3: BFG was just that. The game had every single Doom title and all its expansions, crammed into one single release. It was also the first time that it ever released on PS3 as Doom 3 sipped PS3 and went to Xbox 360 instead.

DOOM – 2016

DOOM

And here we are, 23 years after the release of the first ever Doom. We are now ready to celebrate a new generation of DOOM as the game’s latest entry is both a reboot and a re-imagining of the classic game. I am so ready to tackle those noobs in the multiplayer mode, and get my creative side on in the SnapMap where I plan on, I don’t think it will happen, create some awesome mods.

The game looks fantastic and after playing the multiplayer for hours on end during the beta, I cannot wait to get back into it. Did I mention that the game also has a solid 16-hour campaign?

What are your favorite memories from the Doom series? Let us know!

I'd love to chat to you some more.

 

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